Location Description For years now, Komodo National Park has been one of the top snorkeling destinations in Indonesia, if not the world. Located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, Komodo National Park is made up of three larger islands - Rinca (pronounced Rincha), Padar, and of course Komodo. These are just the three larger islands, as you'll find by looking at a map or by joining a snorkeling safari, there are around one-hundred smaller islands, many of which are exceptional snorkeling sites. Labuan Bajo is a small town on the western edge of Flores that acts as a sort of gateway to Komodo National Park. This is where the newly built airport is and where all flights will arrive and depart from. The harbor is just a five-minute drive from the airport where board the resort's transfer boat which will take us to our snorkeling resort located on its own private island. Snorkeling in Komodo Nearly all of the snorkeling on a snorkel safari—whether it be on a liveaboard or via resort—will take place in the north and central area of Komodo. This area is best suited for snorkeling as the water is typically clear and warm, and the snorkeling sites are more protected from bad weather. It's also where you'll have the best chances for encounters with all the iconic marine life while also having plenty of vibrant reefs that come right up to the surface. Many people will have no doubt heard about the currents in Komodo, and the rumors are true, Komodo does have some strong currents. It's one of the main reasons why the area has such an abundance of marine life. Fish and corals love current as it often brings nutrients with it. However, as snorkelers, we honestly have very little to worry about.
Location Description For years now, Komodo National Park has been one of the top snorkeling destinations in Indonesia, if not the world. Located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, Komodo National Park is made up of three larger islands – Rinca (pronounced Rincha), Padar, and of course Komodo. These are just the three larger
Ok, so there's a lot of awesome snorkeling out there, in places like Indonesia, there's an amazing mix of colorful coral and mesmerizing marine life, while in places like and Mexico and Tonga it's all about the adrenaline pumping open ocean adventures with some of the world's most iconic big ocean animals like sharks, whales, and sea lions. With such a wide variety of snorkeling styles and destinations, everyone is going to have their own ideas as to what defines a great snorkeling destination. I know I have mine. So, rather than say something like “this is the number one snorkeling destination in the world, and this is the second-best, etc...” I'll just carefully put a list together of what we Snorkel Venture guides—based on our collective snorkeling experience, believe to be some of the ten best snorkeling locations in the world. Please keep in mind that these are in no particular order. Here we go. Komodo, Indonesia Komodo is one of the most predictable places we've ever snorkeled. Manta and turtle encounters are as close to guaranteed as you can where marine life encounters are concerned, while schools of big fish and small fish reside on all the different reefs—which are absolutely stunning and prolific. Glovers Reef & Turneffe Atoll, Belize These two atolls are a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef and are just amazing for snorkeling. The shallow reefs come right up to the surface and are made up of layer upon layer of brightly colored sea fans and large coral heads. Cabilao, Philippines Cabilao is a small island just off the much larger Bohol island and offers incredible shallow reefs and steep walls. Hard coral and soft coral grow in stunning formations here while an interesting array of critters like frogfish, sea snakes, octopus, and
Ok, so there’s a lot of awesome snorkeling out there, in places like Indonesia, there’s an amazing mix of colorful coral and mesmerizing marine life, while in places like and Mexico and Tonga it’s all about the adrenaline pumping open ocean adventures with some of the world’s most iconic big ocean animals like sharks, whales,
White balance is one of the principal camera settings or functions we need to understand in order to bring out the natural colors of the reef and our fishy friends. What is the white balance you ask? Well, in the most simple terms, white balance is a setting included on all digital cameras, usually indicated with a “WB”, which changes the overall color of the picture to accommodate different lighting environments. For example, a land photographer would change the white balance settings when they move from shooting in a sunny outdoor environment to an indoor environment lit entirely with fluorescent light. For us underwater shooters, we adjust the white balance to account for a loss in the red wavelength as we go deeper underwater. If you do not adjust your white balance your images will come back in shades of blue and green when they should be coming back with a full spectrum of colors. How do we correctly set our white balance? Let me explain. Underwater Auto Shooting Modes As I said, as we dive deeper underwater we start to lose certain colors, most importantly red. With this in mind, we need to try to account for this loss of red by utilizing our camera's built-in digital red filter, which is controlled through the white balance function. Many cameras like newer models of GoPro or the Olympus TG series—some of the most user-friendly cameras for snorkelers and divers—will have pretty fantastic auto-white balance settings for underwater shooters. For GoPro users, you'll just need to switch the white balance setting into Auto and just let the camera do its thing. In my experience, and from what I've seen from our guests using GoPros, the colors come back very accurate. For the Olympus TG folks, simply turn the little dial on
White balance is one of the principal camera settings or functions we need to understand in order to bring out the natural colors of the reef and our fishy friends. What is the white balance you ask? Well, in the most simple terms, white balance is a setting included on all digital cameras, usually indicated
What are you going to see on one of our snorkeling safaris? Short answer, a ton! Long answer, the specific things you can expect to see can be region and location-dependent. Here's a quick breakdown of what you can expect to see in some of our most popular snorkeling safari destinations. Please note that this is a very small list featuring some of the most popular species, there is so much more to see for each location! Coral Triangle Staples *This list of creatures can be expected for just about all of our snorkeling safaris taking place in the Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Philippines, Palau). Many different types of anemones and anemonefish Pristine hard and soft coral reefs Many species of lionfish and scorpionfish Many different species of angelfish Tons of different species of colorful reef fish Porcupinefish and many different species of pufferfish Blue-spotted stingrays Nudibranchs Many different types of sea stars Moray eels Raja Ampat and Komodo- Indonesia Manta rays Big schools of big fish Mangroves Green and hawksbill sea turtles Cuttlefish, octopus, squid Reef sharks Napoleon wrasse Bumphead parrotfish Alor- Indonesia Some larger schools of big fish Mandarine fish Hawksbill sea turtles Cuttlefish, octopus, squid Mola mola (depends on tide, current, and moon phase) Friendly local fishermen freediving with homemade wood goggles as they spearfish with handmade spears North Sulawesi and Wakatobi- Indonesia Hawksbill and green sea turtles Sea snakes Crocodile fish Some schooling fish Cuttlefish, octopus, squid Philippines Some smaller schools of big fish Sea snakes Hawksbill and green sea turtles Whale shark (not to be expected but it's possible) Mandarine fish Cuttlefish, octopus, squid Frogfish Palau Manta rays Reef sharks Napoleon wrasse Bumphead parrotfish Some bigger schools of fish Cuttlefish, octopus, squid Hawksbill and green sea turtles Caribbean Some smaller schools of big fish Tons of
What are you going to see on one of our snorkeling safaris? Short answer, a ton! Long answer, the specific things you can expect to see can be region and location-dependent. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect to see in some of our most popular snorkeling safari destinations. Please note that this
Deciding to just rent snorkeling gear versus bringing your own gear on a snorkeling safari can have its benefits, such as keeping your luggage weight/cost down. However, it can also have its disadvantages as not all snorkel and dive centers will have the exact sizes you may need. Packing your own snorkeling gear can add to your overall luggage weight, but it can also make life easier and more comfortable when you arrive as you have the added assurance that every piece of equipment fits here. Here's a little pros and cons list—as well as our opinion—for those of you having a difficult time deciding on whether you should pack your own snorkeling gear or rent. Renting Gear Pro: Traveling light Con: No guarantee the rental equipment will fit perfectly. Pro: No need to wash or maintain equipment on tour. Con: Rental equipment may be quite used and not in the best shape. Pro: No need for pre-trip shopping. Con: Who used this wetsuit last and why does it smell a bit funky? Bringing Your Own Gear Pro: No need to need to worry about trying on gear at each location. Con: Your luggage might be a bit heavier or bulkier. Pro: If you've spent time sizing your equipment correctly, you know it will fit. Con: You'll have to spend the time researching equipment and sizing it correctly. Pro: You know who had that snorkel in their mouth last...you! Con: You'll have to pack and maintain/wash/dry your equipment at each location. As you can see there are a lot of valid arguments to be made for each case, however, after years of running snorkeling safaris with guests both bringing their own gear and guests renting, we can honestly say that bringing your own is the preferred choice of our guests.
Deciding to just rent snorkeling gear versus bringing your own gear on a snorkeling safari can have its benefits, such as keeping your luggage weight/cost down. However, it can also have its disadvantages as not all snorkel and dive centers will have the exact sizes you may need. Packing your own snorkeling gear can add
